A $1.3bn deal between Biogen, Inc. and Capsigen Inc. points to how a growing number of large biopharma companies are turning to small firms focused on developing novel capsid technology to aid their gene therapy development efforts. Along with that, there is growing interest in adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector-based gene therapies more specifically tailored to diseases than the ones currently on the market, and the firms’ ability to net potentially billion-dollar-plus deals shows there is room for better capsids.
Biogen said 10 May that it had tapped Capsigen to engineer AAV capsids to address central nervous system and neuromuscular...